Pharos Science & Applications Inc. has unveiled its newest GPS navigation product, the Pharos Traveler 505 with Microsoft Outlook-assistance, the company announced this week.

The Pharos Traveler, which has a 3.5-inch color TFT LCD display, is a self-contained vehicle navigation device that moonlights as an on-the-go, portable solution for pedestrian travels, according to a recent news release.

"With this device, we're trying to make life simple for people on the road," Rick Sill, vice president of sales for Pharos, told Ziff Davis Internet.

"It offers traditional voice prompts as well as visual and text prompt features, encouraging drivers to keep their eyes on the road and enabling passengers to help with directions."

The PND (personal navigation device) is optimized for use by the mobile professional and utilizes an integrated 512MB SD card, pre-loaded with detailed maps of roads in major metropolitan areas across the United States (and in Canada).

It offers voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions in real time, via a touch-screen display.

In addition, users can choose one of four navigational screen options, including text and graphical maps, text directions, full-screen text guidance or GPS compass screen, the company said.

The Pharos Traveler, powered by any vehicle's car lighter adapter, includes a built-in Li-Ion battery, allowing users to take to the street for up to four hours of navigational assistance.

The device features an optimized multi-stop routing function, or users can program destinations by intersection, favorites or from a library of points of interest (such as gas stations, hotels, ATM machines or well-known landmarks).

The new Traveler also syncs to Microsoft Outlook to give users instant access to all of their pocket Outlook contacts from the road.

"One of the things you may have noticed with navigation devices is that you always have to get used to the interface and plug in multiple addresses," said Sill.

"With this device, if you have addresses saved in Outlook, you can sync to your computer and transfer all of those contacts and their addresses to the device. With a few clicks on the screen I can go to 'go,' 'contacts,' 'name,' and am automatically routed to that address."

Through the Traveler, Pharos is also offering access to ClearChannel's TMC (Traffic Message Channel), for real-time traffic updates and location-based services.

Although Pharos says TMC is not currently operating at full capacity stateside, the company expects that to pick up by next year.

In anticipation of future access, they have integrated a driver into the new device. By early 2006 Pharos plans to add a radio receiver to pick up the TMC broadcasts.

"Eventually our receiver will have the ability to pick up transmitted data and put it on display," said Sill.

"For example, let's say there's been a traffic accident on the Long Island Expressway at exit 40; TMC will inform the driver, so they can get off at exit 39 and use our navigation software to successfully find their way."

The company's Ostia routing and navigational software acts as the "brain" for the Traveler device.

It utilizes digitized road maps from major map database companies (Tele Atlas and NavTeq) and then works with mathematical algorithms that take into account addresses and other data, to calculate the best route from point A to point B.

The Traveler also links with multiple satellites via SirfstarIII from Sirf Technology Holdings Inc. to offer higher accuracy in directions.

The "latest and greatest" of Sirf's GPS chip sets, the SirfstarIII is a highly sensitive device that enables position fixes from inside and out, according to Sill.

"Business travelers often find themselves in cities with high buildings, so we released the Pharos Traveler with the highly sensitive SirfstarIII GPS receiver to ensure a steady stream of position fixes in the urban canyon," Sill said in a statement.

The Pharos Traveler is currently available online or through authorized Pharos dealers, where it retails for $649.95.

Although the Traveler is Pharos' first Windows mobile-based Pocket GPS product, the company has built all of its preceding navigation solutions on the back of Windows mobile-based and other wireless devices (such as smart phones and PDAs).

"We now have platforms that we can place our navigation solutions on top of, that sell in huge quantities every year, and turn those wireless devices into neat navigational tools for consumers," said Sill.

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